Best Summer Ever
by Ayuki-Hono
Summary: Caitlin and Cheryl, left by their parents for almost 2 years now, have nothing to do this summer. All their friends are on trips having fun with their families while they must suffer through another miserable summer alone with the Nanny. Just when they were about to give up hope of something exciting happening, a mysterious boy named James appears at their doorstep. Rated T/Light M
1. Prologue-I'm sorry, what?

AN-Okay! So I just want to say before we get started that this is actually my first wizard story, even though I've been playing for almost, what, 4 years now? Probably more. I felt it necessary to make one as I love the game a lot! Wow it has been something playing through the years on that game. I started when I was twelve, and here I am sixteen! I'd like to thank all my friends from the game who inspired me to write this story, as a lot of the characters are based on them. The two main protagonists though are actually both my wizards. I'll probably include a short biography on them in the next chapter, so look for that!

Another thing, if you have an OC you'd like to submit, feel free! I'll probably need some in the future. If I don't use your OC I apologize in advance, it's hard to fit all your OC's into a story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this very short prologue, it's only about 900 words long! My apologies~ First chapter will be longer, I promise. I hope to make each chapter 2000-5000 words if possible. This story doesn't have a full plot yet, so if some things don't fit in the future, I'll probably go back and revise the story later on. Now I apologize for any mistakes in grammar! Enjoy the prologue!

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I'm bored." A girl with silver haired breathed out into complete, utter boredom.

"Tell me something I don't know, Caitlin." A voice answered back, though this voice belonging to a girl with deep blue hair.

"I took your skittles, did you know _that_ Cheryl?" Caitlin said, with a smirk on her face. Her light blue eyes looked over at her friend in amusement as she frantically looked around for her 'oh so special skittles'. Skittles were delicious and it's not her fault her friend just left them out in the open for her to steal.

"You're a jerk sometimes, I swear. Those were the last of my skittles! Aargh!" Cheryl screamed out in complete frustration. Caitlin was _so_ buying her more skittles later!

Caitlin and Cheryl were just sitting in a room at Caitlin's house being bored, as most kids do these days, just watching TV or gossiping about people. Ever since school got out there had been nothing to do, and though they hated to admit it, they kind of missed going to school. Their friends were all on vacation, save for Caitlin and Cheryl, and wouldn't be back till a week before school started. That was almost two full months away, and Caitlin had been complaining about boredom ever since they had left.

Cheryl, though usually calm and 'Caitlin-complaining-resistant', had, had just about enough of her whining and complaining. They would have asked their parents to take them somewhere but both Cheryl's and Caitlin's parents had been gone for about 2 years. They were over seas on a "business" trip. Caitlin's and Cheryl's family co-owned a popular business and went to Russia to help promote the business over there. So they had left a nanny to look after them while they were away. Cheryl didn't mind at all really, but Caitlin was completely and utterly pissed at her parents. Cheryl told her many times to just get over it, but of course she hadn't. The nanny was kind to them at least.

"I'm not a jerk, you're just over-dramatic." Caitlin explained with her smirk still in place. Suddenly the door bell rang, alerting the girls. The nanny would have answered it, naturally, but she was out at the moment. On a date that is with some guy, leaving them home alone.

"Caitlin, go answer the door. I answered it last time." Cheryl commanded her silver-haired friend. Caitlin, in a huff, walked to the door mumbling things to herself.

"What'dya want?" Caitlin asked, in an in-polite tone, as she swung the door open. A boy with red hair and blue eyes, who seemed to be the same age as Caitlin and Cheryl, stood there. He looked surprise at first, his eyes wide, but composed himself in a proper manner before introducing himself.

"My name is James. You are Caitlin, right?" The boy named 'James' asked. Caitlin's eyes narrowed in suspicion. How did this random dude know her name...?

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" She asked. Cheryl, who had walked over when she answered the door, asked, " Who is it?"

"I don't know, his name is apparently James though. Do you know him?" Cheryl shook her head, saying no. The mystery boy just stood there, watching the girls talk. After a minute or two talking they faced him.

"Ok Mr. just who the heck are you? We don't know you. If your one of those sales guys, buzz off." Caitlin told the red-headed boy. James raised an eye-brow and looked confused.

"What are you talking about? I'm here to take you to Raven-wood!" He smiled, informing them. This time it was their turn to raise an eye-brow and look confused.

"The _heck_ is Raven-wood? Are you one of those weird-o's doing one of those video pranks?" Cheryl said, looking annoyed. Caitlin kept quiet for once, obviously too pissed.

"My, my you two are quiet rude. And here I am being quite the gentlemen." James stated matter-of-factly in his own rude and annoyed voice. Caitlin sputtered, while Cheryl gave him a somewhat half glare, thoroughly intrigued by his sudden change in attitude. _'Bi-polar much...' _She thought, mentally

"Whatever...Now seriously, what do you want?" Caitlin asked, quickly getting impatient. She tapped her foot against the tiled for, her arms crossed over her chest and a clearly pissed off look. Her bright blue eyes laced with malice.

"What do you mean? I was being serious, I'm here to take you to Raven-wood!" He smiled again, putting his arms behind his back.

"Meow!" A small animal came out from behind James, running towards the two, now startled, girls.

"W-what is _that!?_ It looks like a Jaguar!" Cheryl yelled, quite scared, and hid behind her silver haired companion. James looked offended and picked the small animal up.

"It is a leopard, I'll have you know! And Tigra deserves some respect, be kind!" The small leopard 'meow-ed' again, and started purring against James.

"Weird...Shouldn't, I don't know, that animal be in a zoo? Or in it's native land, or whatever..." Caitlin inquired, staring at the cat. Though it may not show, Caitlin was fond of cats. She preferred house cats, but wild cats were cool too.

"Hmph. No, at Raven-wood there are no such things as _zoo's_," He said, adding a disgusted tone to the word 'zoo', "animals are free to roam, unless they are dangerous and malicious of course. Such as trolls and other monsters."

"Uh-huh. Now why the heck would you want us to come to, wherever it is you come from. And trolls? Seriously, get real. No such thing, only in fairy tails." Cheryl had a sneer on her face, pointing at him. She wiped her blue hair from her face then slowly crossed her arms.

"Master Ambrose said you two would be difficult to convince, so I suppose I have no other choice..." He pulled a card from one of his pockets and started to mumble something.

"Hey, what are you-"

END OF PROLOGUE-TBC


	2. Chapter 1-Meeting Headmaster

_Recap:_

"_Uh-huh. Now why the heck would you want us to come to wherever it is you come from. And trolls? Seriously, get real. No such thing, only in fairy tails." Cheryl had a sneer on her face, pointing at him. She wiped her blue hair from her face then slowly crossed her arms._

"_Master Ambrose said you two would be difficult to convince, so I suppose I have no other choice..." He pulled a card from one of his pockets and started to mumble something._

"_Hey, what are you-"_

_End Recap_

"What. Did. You. DO?!" Caitlin currently had a hold on James collar and was shaking him fiercely. Said boy had his hands on Caitlin's, working to get her grip of him free.

"I told you! I brought you to Raven-wood!" James tried tugging away but was unsuccessful. Cheryl tried tugging at Caitlin's sleeve to let him go, but that also didn't work.

"Caitlin, you're causing a scene!" Cheryl whispered, and sure enough, people were staring and whispering to one another.

"Meow!" Tigra again came out of no where and jumped on Caitlin, causing her to let go and fall on her butt.

"Oww...Darn you cat!" She made a grab for the furry feline, but James grabbed her first.

"You will NOT lay a finger on Tigra! Do you hear me?!"

"You sure do get defensive over a cat."

"I do not!"

"Yes, yes you do."

"I don't!"

"Yes you do, you jerk!"

"Ohhh~ Look who's talking."

"Guys." Cheryl tried breaking up their little argument.

"Oh please, be quiet you red-headed bishie!"

"What the heck is a bishie?"

"Guys."

"A boy who is pretty."

"Why, thank you-"

"To pretty to be a boy that is."

"I'll claw your eyes out, bi-!"

"GUYS!" They stopped, looking at Cheryl.

"What?!" They shouted simultaneously.

"Ahem." They both turned around and came face-to-face with a long white beard.

"AH! Headmaster Ambrose!" James shouted, quickly doing a small bow, white Tigra just meowed again in his hold.

"Good day James, I see you've brought them."

"Y-yes, sir." He moved to the side, allowing the old man to come forward.

"Who are you?" Caitlin asked in an in-polite voice, taking in the old man's appearance. He had on a HUGE pointy hat that drooped a little at the end and had a star and moon pattern on it. The fabric was a dark purple, and bordering was red and gold. The robe he wore was similar, star and moon patterns and purple fabric along with the red and gold bordering. He had on pointy shoes that curled at the ends, reminding her of an elf. They had a gold stripe on them. The old man carried a tall staff along with him. The top of it was in the shape of a circle except it wasn't a complete one. It rounded off before it reached the end, and in the middle was a blue, round, crystal. The staff itself was brown.

"Ah how un-lady like your tone is, but no matter. We'll fix that in the future. My name is Merle Ambrose, but you may call me Headmaster Ambrose." His voice was old and gruff. It intimidated Cheryl, but not Caitlin in the least.

"Any-who, welcome to Raven-wood! Sean! Come over here, please, I require your assistance." A young boy with wild and messy purple hair silently approached. He adorned a similar purple robe covered in stormy print of some sort.

"Y-Yes, Headmaster?" The boy was a bit flustered, obviously, and was not helped by the fact he stuttered. Caitlin eyed him suspiciously, looking him up and down before turning away with a 'humph'. The young boy frowned, usually people took to him more kindly. Obviously not use to the 'rudeness' Caitlin was so obviously portraying, he decided to ignore her. Cheryl saw the scene, quickly noticing that they weren't going to get along very well. On the other hand..._'opposites attract, do they not?'_ Cheryl thought with a sly smirk. A sweet, kind boy and a rude, hormonal girl. Opposites. Perfect.

Caitlin noticed her blue-haired friends smirked and scowled, wondering what she was thinking in the small head of hers. _'Tch, she probably likes the stupid dude already, not a surprise.' _She glanced absent mindidly at her nails for a brief second then eyed the Headmaster, who was speaking with the purple haired boy. "Hey sorry if this sounds 'un-lady' like but what the _hell? _You know, you might as well call this kidnapping, taking us against our will. But I suppose this is the most excitement we've had so far this summer."

"Oh dear, I can obviously tell that their parents have not yet spoken with them on this matter." The Headmaster stroked his snowy-white beard in thought, looking up towards the sky. Curiosity was eminent on his face, but also a little annoyance as well. Cheryl was very much scared of this old man, even though she tried her best to put on a brave-front. "Right, well, no matter," He eyed the two young girls and a small smile grazed his face, though it was covered by his beard, "You will be staying here for quite a while, I suppose we'd better get you sorted into your schools of focus."

"W-what? Schools of focus? I'm so confused." Caitlin face-palmed and inwardly sighed. "I thought this was one big school. What could you possibly mean by 'schools-of-focus'?" The Headmaster looked at James, even more confused.

"You didn't explain anything to them?"

"Well, they were quite stubborn and wouldn't believe anything I said, so I thought it best to just take them here and explain things. Besides, Caitlin looked almost ready to sock me one." The red-head explained, rubbing the back of his head, obviously nervous. Caitlin glared at him and grit her teeth. Indeed she did want to sock him one, right in the jaw. The guy was pissing her off and it's not her fault she thought him some annoying sales person!

"Ah, I see. Well, excellent job either way, I am proud. Tomorrow, you shall be off supervisor duty, as Sean will be filling in for you tomorrow. Also Caitlin, violence isn't tolerated so please try to refrain from that." The white-bearded old man explained, earning a wide-eyed James who had his mouth hanging open. The white haired girl merely shrugged.

"B-but, Headmaster! I thought this was my duty, you explained in very great detail last week that-" The old man waved him off, still smiling under that white beard of his.

"I am well aware of what I have said, but do not fret, it is only for a day. I am sure you can handle it. Besides, you haven't had a break in quite a long time, your almost as bad as Cyrus when it comes to work." Ambrose shook his head, chuckling as he did so. The old man snapped his fingers and a book appeared out of thin air, causing Cheryl to gasp in astonishment and Caitlin's eyes grew wide, but quickly returned to normal. _'I'll be damned if I let something such as that trick me.'_

"Okay, I just need you to fill these questions out, and we'll take it from there." He handed them each a feather quill pen, earning questioning looks from the two girls. "We're wizards, we use quills" They rolled their eyes, but took the quills anyway. Caitlin decided she'd be the one to read the questions aloud.

"What is more important to you: Show off my skills, Be part of a winning team," She looked at the old man and he grinned sheepishly. She rolled her eyes again and circled her answer, while Cheryl did the same.

"Which of these is the most powerful? Volcano, Blizzard, Hurricane, Earthquake, Tornado, Plague, Sandstorm..." She glared at the old man this time, "Really? What kind of questions are these?" She circled her answer, muttering a few curses along with it. Cheryl mentally sweat-dropped at her friend's rude behavior.

"What is your favorite class in school? What the heck? There's no 'I don't have a favorite' choice?" Ambrose shrugged, while Sean and James sweat-dropped. Tigra let out a meow and stretched in James' hold. She began purring, which slightly calmed Caitlin, since she was a cat-person. Shocker.

Answering the rest of the questions, they handed the book and quills back to the old man. He grabbed the items, and quickly opened the book looking over the answers the girls had chosen. "Ah, Cheryl, it seems you are destined to be ice. Very nice, ice is strong when it comes to defense." Cheryl smiled, since she always chose defense over offense.

"Caitlin it seems you are life." James snickered, earning a scowl and a growl thrown his way, courtesy of Caitlin. "Now, now, James you know full well that life is one of the more important schools. They are, after all, our healers, and we rely on them much more than you would think. You kids these days are way to rough, and don't think properly." This time Caitlin grinned in triumph and said boy deflated and looked away, suddenly finding the grass more interesting.

"Sean, I'd like you to help settle the girls in please, and make sure they have an introduction to the teachers. I'm sure Professor's Greyrose and Wu will be quite happy to have new additions to their school." Sean grimaced, but nodded. He didn't have a problem with Cheryl, she was fine, but Caitlin was another story. She obviously was rude and unpredictable. Well not so much unpredictable, but you get the point, she's trouble. He motioned for them to follow. Cheryl followed instantly, while Caitlin, begrudgingly, followed after them.

-break-

"Thanks for the tour Sean!" Cheryl waved a good bye to her new friend, already liking where they were staying, while Sean waved bye himself with a smile on his face. Caitlin huffed in annoyance, lying on her bed, sprawled out. The bed was comfortable at least.

"Caitlin, don't look so glum, it doesn't suit you. You're much prettier when you smile." Cheryl flashed a smile, trying to get her silver-haired companion to also crack a smile with no luck.

"Oh please, I don't smile. Not anymore anyway, I'm still cross with my parents." She folded her arms over her chest, and flat out refused to smile. Heck to the no.

"Hmph, fine, be like that. I don't like it, but I won't question you." She tapped her chin, trying to think of something to cheer her friend up. She grinned when she found the perfect idea. "Wanna go visit the library?" Caitlin shot up, faster than a bullet.

"Library?" _'Oh yeah...'_

-break-

"Oh my flipping lord. _Hell _no." _Hell _yes. The librarian was a dog. And that dogs name was Harold Argleston. And Harold Argleston was not a happy camper when someone used such language around him, in his own library no less. His abode, no one spoke like that in here.

"Can I help you?" He snapped, causing his assistant to flinch. Said assistant thought it was time to go sort through books and make sure they were in proper order...Okay he just wanted to get the heck out of there, anything was better than standing there. When Argleston was mad, nothing stopped him until the poor creature who managed to upset him was dealt with.

"Yes, _actually,_ you can." Caitlin said, trying to sound like she was growling at him. His dark brown dog-like eyes narrowed at her.

"Please do enlighten me as to what I can _assist _you with." He sneered, eyes narrowed.

"I need a book on Biogenesis. If you'd be so kind."

He blinked, confusion taking over. "What?"

Caitlin resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and asked _kindly _once more, "Biogenesis. I need a book or two on that particular subject." Yes, Caitlin had a fascination as to how humans were created. (If you don't know what biogenesis is, Bio=life and Genesis=Beginning, which means, in terms, Biogenesis is the beginning of life.)

"Why on Biogenesis? It has nothing to do with Magic here." Harold replied, checking in some books and setting them to the side so his assistant could take them to their proper location at a later time.

"Biogenesis has to do with everything. Without it we would not be here, end of story. Now I am new here, so I would _like _to have something to read before I start classes two weeks from now." Raven-wood was currently on break and they had two-weeks from now until school would start up again. Summer here doesn't usually last long, but classes are short and you get numerous amounts of free time.

"Right, well, I'm sorry but our last book on Biogenesis was checked out. In fact it's a few months overdue." He said, looking down in his checked-out book list. He tapped his fingers on the desk in annoyance, and sighed audibly.

"By who?" Caitlin questioned, Cheryl was off looking at several of available books in the library and had already found two that she liked.

"Malistaire." Almost everyone in the library froze, a few gasps made themselves heard, save for Caitlin and Cheryl.

"Who?" Cheryl asked, suddenly interested in the conversation. She had been looking at the books on some of the shelves when she had heard gasps all around her and the name "Malistaire."

"An old teacher. He's, well, 'retired' you could say."

"That doesn't explain why everyone looks so scared." Caitlin folded her arms over her chest.

"He was the death professor before he defected from Raven-wood. No one knows why he left in the first place, but Headmaster Ambrose has a suspicion it had something to do with his dead wife, Sylvia. She was also a teacher here at Raven-wood, the life teacher to be exact. Moolinda Wu has taken over her job though, and that's what I suspect angered Malistaire. He left shortly after she came here from Mooshu." Harold explained, checking in some more books without even looking up. He snorted and looked back up.

"I see, well, sorry for troubling you. Cheryl check your books out and let's go." Cheryl nodded and quickly checked out her three books she had found.

Walking out of the library, they saw that there weren't very many people out. Not surprising, Ambrose told them that everyone was on vacation and with their families, or visiting other worlds of the spiral. Caitlin scoffed when she heard something so absurd, but didn't question it. If wizards existed, she was sure that this spiral or whatever existed.

"Hey Cat..." Said girl looked over at her blue-haired companion. Her head was covered in small amount of sweat, and her cheeks were dusted a ruby color. Caitlin, looking genuinely worried, and placed her cool hand on her friends forehead.

"Cheryl are you okay? You're kinda warm..." She took Cheryl's books and carried them for her, insisting on it since Cheryl complained she was fine. They walked back towards the dormitories, passing by a few people who gave them curious looks. They could obviously tell something was wrong, but no one offered any help. _'Gah, so rude...They could at least be polite and offer some help!' _The sky blue-eyed girl complained mentally. Today was definitely _not _her day. At all. Sighing, she opened their door and dropped the books on a random desk, and then helped her friend into the bed and covered her up.

"Stay here. I'm going to go look for something to help you bring down that fever. And don't, _I repeat don't, _take those covers off." Caitlin threatened in a some-what playful tone, making Cheryl laugh a little and nod.

"I promise. Be carefully out there." Caitlin nodded, and left, making sure to lock the door behind her. Her heels made a clicking noise while she walked down the steps and down the cement road towards the shopping district. Looking around, she saw no medical supply shop and huffed in annoyance.

"Really? No medical shop? What kind of place is this..." She turned her body, while not quite turning her head all the way, and bumped into someone, "Hey watch it!"

"I could say the same thing to you." Opening her blue-irises, she came face to face with a pair of annoyed gold ones. It was a guy obviously. His hair was a messy black color and quite unruly, but it suited him, she thought. She flushed a bit and stood up, turning away, not even bothering to help him up.

"Whatever... I don't have time for this, my friend needs help." She took off, not waiting for the boy to give her a smart-aleck retort.

Continuing her search through the shopping district she came across no medical shop. This annoyed Caitlin immensely. '_No medical shop? Geez what kind of place is this?_' So instead of wandering around aimlessly she entered one of the shops and asked for directions to the nearest medical shop. The owner gave a chuckle and asked if she was new. She replied she was and asked how he knew, with him saying, "There are no medical shops in Wizard City. Our life wizards take care of that. Go speak with Moolinda Wu." So she did just that.

Having met her earlier, she learned that the Professor was a Cow. A freakin' cow. Caitlin was wondering if there was gonna be trolls riding unicorns next. She wouldn't doubt it. This place defined strange if Caitlin had anything to say about it.

"Hey you! Stop for a moment!" Caitlin flipped her head around and groaned. No way...

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Cliffhanger~ Not much of one, but I figured it would be a good place to stop. For now that is. I'll probably keep on writing today, since I have to go back to school thursday, and I want to get to at least chapter 3 or 4 if I am lucky. As of right now, I have no idea how long this story will be. It might be short, might be long, who can say? Reviews aren't important to me, faves are nice, follows even, but reviews would be nice so I can improve any mistakes. And don't forget you can submit OCS!

Now it's time for Cheryl's and Caitlin's short bios~

o0o0o0o0o0

Name: Caitlin Damika (Dah-mee-kuh)

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Appearance: Slender thin girl with pale skin. Has blue eyes and silvery white hair that reaches her waist.

Personality: Rude, picky, hot-tempered, loyal, impatient.

Background: Caitlin was born into the Damika family, a rich business family that has control over half the stock markets throughout the world. Ever since she was little her cousin, Cheryl, has always been by her side. She is resentful of her parents for leaving her for long periods of times and wishes they would come home. She is regarded somewhat as a bully in school because she stood up to two guys who had been pestering her friend Cheryl and managed to knock one of them out. She had been suspended from school because of it and was subsequently grounded by her parents for a month. Rumors around the school suggest she likes girls as she has never liked a boy, or at least ever shown any interest in one. Despite this she has a crush on a guy named Jacob who is a grade level higher than her in school.

Likes: Pizza, reading books on Biogenesis, writing, spaghetti, computer games, Jacob, her cat Reese

Dislikes: Loud people, large groups of people, the cold, her parents, dogs, James, Sean, Headmaster Ambrose, people picking on Cheryl, pickup lines

Goals for the Future: Wants to become a successful prosecutor in the future and a part time writer.

Love Interest(s): James, Sean, Jacob (These are people I might pair her with. These are not people she actually likes, except Jacob.)

Name: Cheryl Damika

Age: 14

Gender: Female

Appearance: Slender build similar to Caitlin. Has blue eyes and dark blue hair that goes just past her shoulders.

Personality: Polite, easily irritated, easy to anger, short tempered, quiet, depressant

Background: Cheryl is Caitlin's cousins. Their fathers are brothers, hence why they share the same last name. Her and Caitlin's parents control half the worlds stock markets and because of this, they are away for long periods of time. Cheryl doesn't mind, but she hates listening to Caitlin complain about it. Cheryl considers Caitlin her 'go to person' when she is in trouble or needs help. She feels like a burden at times and as such can easily become depressed. Her parents were more attentive to her as a child which is why she bares no ill will towards them and does not understand Caitlin's furious behavior toward her own parents. When Cheryl was 10 she had been picked on a lot by bullies. She told Caitlin, who in turn ended up fighting them and ultimately was suspended. She apologized immensely for it, but Caitlin merely shrugged it off, only caring if Cheryl was all right now. Cheryl has a secret crush on her cousin, despite them being related.

Likes: Dr. Pepper, skittles, reading, painting, drawing, Caitlin, her parents, her parakeet Georgie

Dislikes: Caitlin complaining, bullies, art blocks, mud, bugs, bears, and James

Goals for the Future: Become a successful artist, confess her crush to Caitlin

Love Interest(s): Sean, Caitlin


	3. Chapter 2-Curses?

A/N-Mmmmk finally got this chapter done!(Yes I'm way late) Oh and next chapter I will start putting in Oc characters. And one of my friends from real life found out about my story and asked if I'd include her character, to which I told her I would. So that's who we'll be introducing in this chapter along with moving on in the plot. I'd like to apologize in advance because next chapter will be a filler most likely since I am still trying to put together the full plot at the moment.

Okay as of right now I have a poll on my profile. It's for who I should pair Caitlin and Cheryl with at the moment. They are not the official pairings, but I do need some fluff in the story for now. Just like a crush for them, you know? If you have an OC, either gender, that you think would fit them, feel free to submit them! On another note I need a female character of fire and death and one male of storm. I am no good with coming up with characters and I am sure it's cool to see your own characters in a story anyway haha. Also Yuri warning here. Yes I love Yuri. Shocker. And a sort of, somewhat, almost lemon...Not quite~

With that, please enjoy! -Ayuki-Hono

_Recap:_

_Continuing her search through the shopping district she came across no medical shop. This annoyed Caitlin immensely. 'No medical shop? Geez what kind of place is this?' So instead of wandering around aimlessly she entered one of the shops and asked for directions to the nearest medical shop. The owner gave a chuckle and asked if she was new. She replied she was and asked how he knew, with him saying, "There are no medical shops in Wizard City. Our life wizards take care of that. Go speak with Moolinda Wu." So she did just that._

_Having met her earlier, she learned that the Professor was a Cow. A freakin' cow. Caitlin was wondering if there was gonna be trolls riding unicorns next. She wouldn't doubt it. This place defined strange if Caitlin had anything to say about it._

"_Hey you! Stop for a moment!" Caitlin flipped her head around and groaned. No way..._

_End Recap_

"You've got to be kidding me..." Caitlin said for the fifth time today. She had just met a friendly balance by the name of Emmaline. Emmaline WillowWhisper to be exact. She didn't really mind meeting Emmaline, it's what she was riding that really got her. When they had first met, only minutes ago actually, Emmaline had been atop a unicorn. Literally, she was riding a unicorn! Caitlin hadn't believed her eyes and after her mental thought of trolls riding unicorns. Well it was almost true. Just pretend Emmaline was a big ugly troll, instead of a cute short brunette.

"Kidding what?" Emmaline asked while hopping down from her unicorn. She snapped her fingers and with a 'poof' the unicorn was gone from sight. Caitlin stared for a bit wondering who exactly this girl was and what she wanted. Trust no one, as the saying goes. Oh and the 'poof' thing freaked her out a bit too. Just a little bit.

"Who are you exactly?" The silver-haired girl asked.

"I told you silly! My name is Emmaline WillowWhisper, initiate balance, at your service!" She made a quick bow and giggled, her thick brown hair bouncing as she did so. She snapped her light blue eyes toward Caitlin with an innocence look that the girl couldn't help but believe her. Caitlin sighed and nodded quickly before taking off towards Raven-wood where she hoped to find some help for her sick friend, "H-hey! Wait up!"

Emmaline decided to follow Caitlin out of boredom since she had nothing to do. Plus she made a new friend! Friends were always a good thing to have in her opinion. So they continued on their way to the life school. It didn't take them long to reach the school and they quickly entered. Moolinda Wu was sitting at her desk scribbling down notes and grading assignments when she heard the door creak open to reveal her newest pupil and another girl. She smiled and beckoned them over, "What can I do for you Ms. Caitlin and Ms. WillowWhisper?"

"Professor I need to know how to cure a fever. Cheryl suddenly has become ill and is resting as of right now in our dorm." Caitlin had a worried look on her face as she, begrudgingly, asked for help. Moolinda Wu nodded and stood up calmly before handing Caitlin a card, "Here use this Fairy spell. It should cure her right up."

Caitlin stared at the card before taking it, "Okay, but how do I use a spell? I haven't exactly been informed yet."

"Oh! I almost forgot you are new, I apologize! All you have to do is focus your inner magic and trace the life symbol around the spell card and say the creatures name of which you are summoning to your aid. Here, I will demonstrate." The kimono clad cow took out a card from a bundle of spells she had and slowly focus her magic and traced the life symbol with her fan and quietly mumbled 'unicorn.' A quick flash of light and a regal looking white unicorn quickly jumped out of no where, neighing as it did so. It walked calmly towards Moolinda. Emmaline looked at it with absolute adoration in her eyes. _'Unicorn obsessed weirdo...' _Caitlin thought to herself.

"How may I be of service, Lady Moolinda?" It bowed as it spoke, it's deep voice confirming it was a male. Moolinda gave it a pat and thanked it for coming.

Moolinda gave an apologetic smile, "I apologize, Adonis, as I only summoned you as a spell demonstration."

"It is no trouble, milady," It looked towards the two younger wizards, "We have new students?"

"Only one," Moolinda beckoned Caitlin over to introduce her. She did so, though getting slightly annoyed at how long this was taking. Her cousin was still sick after all and standing around wasn't helping her get any better, "This is Caitlin. She just joined Raven-wood today. Caitlin this is Adonis, my personal unicorn summons."

Adonis gave a slight bow, "Pleased to meet you, young student of life. I do hope you enjoy your time learning life magic." Caitlin gave a nod in return, trying not to let her agitation show in front of them. She had to be kind after all, don't want to make a bad impression. Caitlin looked down at the spell in her hand and wondered how a fairy was suppose to help her friend. She needed medicine, not some mythical fairy being to help, "So all I do is trace the life symbol around it and say the spell name?"

Moolinda nodded and smiled, "And don't forget to focus your inner magic, dear."

"I won't," Caitlin inwardly sighed in annoyance, "Well let's try this out then."

-break-

"Ugh, it's so hot here! I hate this place, can we leave yet? Deirdre? Hellooooo, earth to Deirdre, I am speaking to you!" An annoyed blond was quickly losing her patience. She hated sitting in this place, it was so hot. Why did they have to be the one on reconnaissance duty, anyway? Nothing had happened in Dragonspyre in such a long time, it seemed like a waste of time and energy.

"Rylee, I'd appreciate if you'd please, shut the hell up," A brunette bit back. All she ever heard out of Rylee was a complaint about the heat. I mean, come on, she was fire for Pete's sake!

Rylee pouted, sticking out her lip in a cute fashion and whined, "But Deirdre, it's so hot out here. Can we leave? Pretty please?"

Deirdre bit her bottom lip and looked away, concealing her blush, making Rylee smirk. She totally knew Deirdre was a sucker for her pouty face, "So? How 'bout it Deirdre? We can totally go and have some _fun _instead, you know?"

"_Rylee, _knock it _off_. You know we have to do this," Deirdre bit out between clenched teeth, making Rylee pout even more. So the blond opted for her other method of attack. Walking up behind the brunette, she placed her busty chest on Deirdre's back, making the latter freeze in her surveying of the area. Deirdre knew she was going to be fighting a losing battle so she simply gave in. Turning around, while moving Rylee's chest off of her, she stood up and stood face to face with the naughty blond and said, "You're really a sly fox sometimes, I swear, but I guess that's why I love you."

Rylee giggled and embraced the diviner in her delicate arms, "Of course~ If I wasn't as sly as I am, I wouldn't be able to seduce you all the time."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not sometimes," Deidre rolled her eyes in response and quickly shut the blond up with a searing kiss, making her grin. Both girls gripped each others body as hard as they could, all the while keeping their kiss going. Rylee knew it had already been hot before, but the heat was quickly escalating to even greater heights than they already had been. Finally breaking their long and rough kiss, the blond let out a few pants and tackled the brunette to the ash covered ground and kissed her once more, making Deirdre let out a moan in appreciation. Smirking, Rylee began to slowly slip her fingers into Deirdre's shorts and peel them down. The diviner gave her a knowing look and let her continue her advance with a small smirk of contentment.

Unfortunately their fun would have to wait as they heard loud bangs come from nearby. Growling out in frustration, Rylee got up and offered Deirdre a hand, to which she accepted. Quickly slipping her shorts on, they took off towards the noise. Rylee sighed, "This would be so much faster if we had mounts. Deirdre, why couldn't we take them with us here?"

Deirdre shrugged and continued running in a hurried manner, the blond following suit. They soon reached the door to the Grand Chasm. Normally, it was completely locked with a huge padlock, but for some strange reason, the lock was missing. Rylee looked with a worried expression on her face. It was forbidden to open the door to the Grand Chasm, for fear that the portal to the past Dragonspyre might intermingle with the present. Not only that, there were undead locked within it's gates. Ever since Merle Ambrose decided he would watch over Dragonspyre, he had ordered that Dragonspyre Academy be rebuilt for future use. However, it had been put on hold since the undead took over almost half of Dragonspyre. Only certain areas were safe, and even then, it wasn't a hundred percent sure. The fear of any of his students getting injured over took Ambrose's desire to rebuild Dragonspyre, so he only allowed certain students to go there and survey it and take out any undead that was caught outside of where they were locked up. Originally, Ambrose did not want Deirdre nor Rylee going to Dragonspyre, but his regular students who went there were out on other duties, so he had to send them. Rylee was only a Magus fire, but since Deirdre was a grandmaster storm, he thought they could handle themselves okay for just a day.

"Deirdre...The lock, it's missing. What do we do? If the undead get out, there will be trouble. Not only the undead, but the portal to the past could potentially become out of control if the magic seal on it is broken!" Rylee was really worried, nothing like this had ever happened before and she had no idea what she was suppose to do. She could panic, but that wouldn't help matters. Deirdre stared down at the golden door handles and thought, a thin sweat covering her forehead while doing so. She had no choice.

"Rylee," she looked at her lover, "I want you to travel back to Wizard City and warn Ambrose. I'll stay here at the gates and guard it till he comes or at least sends help."

The blond's eyes widened, "No! What about you? I can't just leave you here! What if the undead get out? I'd never forgive myself!"

The brunette sighed and rolled her eyes, finding it cute how she was worried. Looking at her, she smiled and said, "I'll be fine, promise. Have I ever lied to you?"

Rylee bit her lip in thought and shook her head 'no'. Deirdre let out another grin and gave her a hug before handing her a brass key with a dragon carved on the top, "Didn't think so. Now, go, before something happens."

The pyromancer let out a sad smile and nodded, taking off. She silently let out a few tears but wiped them off quickly. Turning her head ever so slightly, she looked back, "Be safe, Deirdre."

-break-

Emmaline let out an applause and clapped her hands as loud as possible, making Caitlin grow even more irritated than she already was, "Whoo! That was fantastic! You totally did it!"

The fair-haired girl let out a growl of annoyance and glared at Emmaline, making her shut up. However, she still had her goofy smile on her face, and she silently cheered in her mind. The cow Professor smiled at Caitlin, impressed that she was able to cast fairy on her first try, "My dear, it seems you are indeed meant to be in life. You casted in perfectly."

A small fairy fluttered around in the air, being a little annoyed that she was summoned for just practice. She had been ready for action, but _no_, she was called for _practice_. How _life_ was cruel sometimes like that, no pun intended of course. The fairy's face had turned scarlet when she learned that, and had went about the room pouting. Emmaline had found her completely adorable and assaulted the fairy when she first arrived. The poor fairy had endured a massive bear hug, of course it was a blessing that Emmaline had an almost flat chest.

"Moolinda Wu," the kimono clad cow looked at the fairy, fanning herself with her custom-made fan, "Can I _please_ leave? If this was only for practice, I might as well go."

The cow chuckled at the fairy's attitude and said, "Of course, dear, but you will have to come back soon. You see, we were practicing this spell for Caitlin to learn. Her friend has become ill and is in need of healing."

The fairy lit up with excitement, and she zoomed towards Caitlin, "Really? Why didn't you say so in the first place! Let's go heal your friend!"

Caitlin's bored expression didn't change. Instead, she only nodded and began walking out the door, Emmaline and the fairy following after. Professor Wu decided to stay behind since she had papers and reports to look over and grade. She sighed as she sat down in her chair and looked over the papers scattered on the wooden desk. Sometimes being a teacher isn't all it's cracked up to be. Oh well, she thought, better get started.

Outside the life school, Caitlin, Emmaline, and the fairy were headed towards the girl's dormitories. At least Caitlin was finally getting the help she had wanted in the first place, so she decided she would behave herself for a change. Taking out her dorm key, she put it in the front door and unlocked it. The magic around the door quickly recognized the key and allowed for them to enter Cheryl and her's dorm. Cheryl was still on the bed, sheets kicked off and had sweat pouring down her head. Caitlin was slightly annoyed that she had disobeyed her and taken the cover off, but that was the least of her worries at the moment. Running over to her cousin's side, she put her forehead on Cheryl's, making the latter blush at the close contact. Caitlin didn't notice, since she was already red all over her face. The fairy flew next to Caitlin and looked at the blue-haired girl in worry. She put her small hands on the girls cheek and tried healing her with her magic, but to no avail. It was not working. No matter how much the fairy tried her spells, nothing worked.

"I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do for her," the fairy said solemnly, making Caitlin look at her in shock and anger, "She's inflicted with a curse. I cannot do anything, it is out of my reach."

This caught everyone's attention. A curse? What curse? Just how had Cheryl been inflicted with a curse, and who had done it? Questions filled everyone's minds, yet no one had any answers. Emmaline finally stepped up, "We have to tell Headmaster. He might know of a way to help cure her."

Caitlin nodded towards her and picked Cheryl up, holding her close towards her and walked out the door. Despite the situation, Cheryl's mood had lifted. Being carried by the person she loved, even though they were cousins, felt comforting. She didn't care what happened as long as she had Caitlin there with her. Poor girl was so out of it, she hadn't even noticed that she admitted she was _in love_ with her cousin. Cheryl felt sleepy though, and soon fell asleep in the silver-haired girl's arms. Caitlin looked at her in worry, and quickened her pace towards the commons. Emmaline was not far behind, though their fairy friend was long gone having decided to return to her home.

Finally making it to the commons, Caitlin quickly carried Cheryl, with Emmaline hot on her heels, towards the Headmaster's office. Emmaline got in front of Caitlin and opened the door for her, with Caitlin muttering a quick "Thank you" and entered behind her. Ambrose was standing by his crystal ball. He was using his magic on the quill pen floating next to him to write stuff in a note book that was also floating beside him. When he heard the door bust open, he was a little annoyed that his silence had been interrupted, but when he saw Caitlin carrying Cheryl and running at him, he quickly grew concerned.

"My, what is wrong? Did something happen to Cheryl?"

Caitlin gave him a worried look and looked down at Cheryl, "Apparently she's been cursed."

Ambrose looked at her funny, "Cursed? Cursed by what?"

The silver-haired girl shrugged as best she could, "I don't really know, that's what we were hoping you could tell us."

He stroked his beard in thought and sighed. He had a hunch of what, or who it could be, and he sorely hoped he was wrong. Ambrose did not want to deal with this right now, but he had no choice. Letting out an inward sigh, he waved his staff over Cheryl to do an analysis on her body. He focused his magic, probing her body to see if he could find the cause of the curse. He quickly felt the problem, "Ah I see. I recognize this curse. It is nothing serious, it is merely a curse that is a warning. It gives a fever and can cause slight amnesia, but it doesn't last long. Here," He handed Emmaline a bag of herbs, since Caitlin's hands were full, "boil these in a pot of water and let them soak. Once they are done, mash them up and mix them with a few berries. Give the powder to Cheryl and it should cure her right up."

Emmaline nodded, memorizing the directions carefully, not wanting to mess them up. Caitlin looked at him gratefully and began to walk out with Cheryl in her arms when something crossed her mind, "What did you mean by 'warning'?"

"Ah, well you see, Malistaire," Emmaline flinched, "an old professor here-"

"I've heard of him. The librarian told me about him."

"Oh, I see. Well he was the death Professor here and he had a special talent for curses. Anyway, this isn't the first warning curse that we've seen. This spell seems to be at random and targets random people. I believe he is trying to tell us he has something planned for us and the Spiral. I've been trying to study and gather information on how to stop him. Right now, I must get back to my work, so I'll let you go now. Make sure she eats all of that powder."

Emmaline and Caitlin both nodded their heads and took off back towards the dorms. Sighing, Caitlin put Cheryl down on the bed once more, and took the bag from Emmaline and proceeded to make what Ambrose had told them. Gathering all the necessities, she began making the herbal powder. Emmaline watched her closely, awe evident on her face. Caitlin was indeed of the life wizard profession. All life people exceeded in healing and she was no exception. After an hour and numerous complaints from Emmaline and painful moans from Cheryl later, Caitlin had finished the powdered mixture.

Walking towards Cheryl's bed, Caitlin shook her awake. The blue-eyed girl opened her eyes and moaned in pain. After catching her bearings, she looked up at Caitlin and smiled, "Hi."

Despite her cheerful grin, her voice came out raspy, and she coughed a bit. Caitlin pursed her lips together and handed her a glass of water along with the powder, which was in a small cup. She looked at them and then back up at Caitlin, having a questioning look on her face, "What's this for?"

"It's to help you get better. The Headmaster gave me it. I had to make the herbs and berries into a powder though, so I hope I did it right. Just eat it."

Cheryl nodded and quickly put the powder into her mouth, flinching in disdain from the horribly bitter flavor that had been somewhat masked by the berries, and followed it with a long drink of water. Once she was finished, she shook her head trying to control that horrible taste in her mouth and laid back down. Not wanting to admit that the horribly tasting medicine was starting to work, she decided to take a nap to pass the time until she recovered. Emmaline was sitting in a chair, watching the affair. The silver-haired girl sighed one last time and, deciding that it was best, laid down on the other bed. Looking at Emmaline, she nodded towards the front door, mentally telling her she had better leave. Taking the hint, Emmaline nodded and giggled a bit before heading out the door. Caitlin shook her head, letting a small smile grace her face, and drifted off into a deep slumber.

-break-

Ambrose was getting slightly upset now. Not because he couldn't find anything out about Malistaire, but because not once, but _twice,_ now someone had busted into his office in the middle of his studying. This time it had been Rylee. She was supposed to be on reconnaissance duty with Deirdre, so what was she doing here? Deciding he had better find out, he waited for her to catch her breath.

"Headmaster! Something terrible has happened in Dragonspyre!" His eyes widened slightly at this, not expecting anything such as this to be reported. He looked around to make sure no one was around that could hear, and quickly beckoned her into his Tower. Magically teleporting a chair in there to sit on, he had her tell him everything that happened. Once she was done with her report, he looked deeply concerned.

"I see...So, the Grand Chasms padlock is missing? Well we must solve this problem before any undead escape and cause mayhem. Not to mention I'll have to have Greyrose and Falmea make another padlock for the door, and soon. Here," he handed a piece of paper to her, to which he had scribbled down various instructions for her, "Take these to them. I want that padlock fixed and soon!"

"What should I do about Deirdre? I can't leave her there all alone!"

Ambrose thought for a moment before making a decision, "I want her to return. She cannot stay there alone. I shall send James and Sean to retrieve her."

Nodding, she quickly ran out the door to do everything she had been told to do. She just hoped everything turned out right and Deirdre was all right where she was.

End Chapter 2

Well there's chapter two. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, I was in a hurry to get this chapter out after such a long hiatus haha. Anyway, hope it turned out all right and you enjoyed~

-Ayuki-Hono~


	4. Chapter 3-New Faces

Woot, back for another chapter! So in this chapter I will be introducing some OC characters you guys submitted. If your character is not in this chapter, don't fret, they will be in here eventually. I'd also like to thank you for your reviews! It's much appreciated, even though I don't care much for them. As long as you people like it and read, that's all I care for~ Oh and to Angel, don't worry, I won't go over bored on the yuri haha. No lemons in this story, just a bit of naughtiness, teehee~ Also to my last two reviews, who did you want your character to be paired with? If anyone at all?

Well that's it for the author note thing, let's get on with the story! ALSO DONT FORGET, I have a poll on my profile for who Caitlin and Cheryl should be with right now. They aren't official pairings mind you, but I just want them for fluff. And don't be afraid to ask to pair one of your characters, with one of mine haha, it would be interesting. Now onto the story!

I hope you enjoy~

-Ayuki-Hono

_Recap:_

_What should I do about Deirdre? I can't leave her there all alone!"_

_Ambrose thought for a moment before making a decision, "I want her to return. She cannot stay there alone. I shall send James and Sean to retrieve her."_

_Nodding, she quickly ran out the door to do everything she had been told to do. She just hoped everything turned out right and Deirdre was all right where she was._

_End Recap_

Deirdre sighed, still being stuck in front of the Grand Chasm gates alone. It had been a few hours since Rylee left, and she was getting a little worried. Had something happened to her along the way? She doubted it, if she had, Rylee would have sent her a telepathic message. However, that doesn't mean something _didn't_ happen. Deirdre mentally slapped herself.

"Geez, what is _wrong_ with me? I need to calm down, she's fine, I know she is."

Despite sounding so sure of herself, there was that little knot in her stomach that couldn't shake the feeling that something may have happened. Sighing once more, she shook the thought from her head, and leaned against the railing of the bridge, sliding down into a sitting position. Feeling kind of alone, she used her magic to summon her pet stormzilla from her backpack. Picking Sparky up, she sat him in her lap. The small lizard creature was napping, though he sort of acknowledged her presence with a small growl. Petting his scales, she sighed once more, and decided she would wait and see what would happen. If she didn't show up in another hour or two, then she would go looking for her. The only problem was, she only had one key, and she had given that key to Rylee. Letting out a frustrated groan, she laid her head down on the pavement floor, sitting Sparky next to her, and took a nap. Maybe napping could help the time pass faster.

Having fallen into a deep slumber after only ten minutes, a creak in the Chasm's doors sounded, alerting Sparky. The small lizard looked at the door, tilting his head to the side, and sniffed the air. Everything seemed fine. Maybe the little lizard was just hearing things, after all, it wouldn't be the first time. Feeling that he was indeed just paranoid, Sparky laid back down and fell into a light slumber. The silent creature behind the door felt it was all right to slip out now, and so, it did. Quietly floating past the sleeping her and her lizard, he took off towards his destination. This destination-The Crown of Fire.

-break-

Emmaline was happily humming to herself while sitting in a chair in the library reading a book. She had a test soon and she needed to study, so what better place than the library? The brunette wasn't alone though. A messy haired ginger boy was sitting next to her, though he was just pleasure reading today. Looking at her companion, she eyed him until he finally caught on and looked at her. Raising his eyebrow at her, she giggled a bit at her thoughts.

"Emmaline," she raised her hair slightly, "is there a particular reason you are giggling at me?"

She shook her head, "No, not really, just had a thought."

"A thought about what?" He asked.

She let out another giggle, "Well, I was just thinking about the new students.," he cringed at the mention of them, "They are really fun! Especially Caitlin! Well I can't say too much about Cheryl since, you know, she was under that curse and all, but-"

James cut her off, "Curse? What do you mean Cheryl was 'under that curse'?"

Emmaline stared at him in puzzlement. She thought for sure that he had known about it, but, then again, she thought, only five people new about it, excluding their fairy friend of course. Then she let out a nervous laugh, obviously realizing her little slip up. She cleared her throat, "Um, what do you mean? Curse? Haha, I don't know of any curses! Well see you later!"

Quickly high tailing it out of there, James watched as she left, sighing as he did so. What curse had she mentioned? It was obvious that maybe she wasn't suppose to tell, hence her playing dumb about it after he mentioned it. Setting down his book, clearly not going to finish it, he walked out of the library, waving at the librarian as he did so.

When he stepped out of the library he looked around, finding no traces of Emmaline anywhere. The only people around were a few students, sitting around here and there, reading and chatting with one another. Letting out a frustrated groan, he decided he would talk to the only other person, beside Ambrose, who knew about curses.

-break-

Caitlin let out a sleepy moan and opened her eyes, only to shut them at the harsh light coming through the windows. Pushing herself up and off the bed, she rubbed her tired eyes of sleep and opened them, though only a sliver. When her eyes finally adjusted to the light somewhat, she looked towards her cousin's bed, only to see the blue-haired girl gone, and the sheets left in a mess. Normally Caitlin would be upset that she left her bed a mess, but she was too panicked to care, and quickly fled out of their dorm room door.

Stepping outside, and looked around the school, only to finally notice something she hadn't the first few times she had come here; There was a giant tree in the middle of the school. However, that's not what got her, it was the face and huge eyes on the tree. The tree was looking towards her, his blue eyes locked with her own equally blue ones. Gasping slightly, she held back a yell and instead swallowed the lump in her throat, and let out a deep breath. Taking a better look at the tree, she noticed something even more odd; The tree was missing an eye. There was a deep gouge in where the other eye should have been. Calming herself down, she approached the giant tree, now more curious then anything, "W-Who are you?"

The tree let out a bellow of a laugh, "Me? Why, Bartleby of course! I am the Grandfather tree"

Caitlin hadn't actually expected the tree to respond to her question and held her tongue to try and keep from yelling out in shock. Sucking in another breath, she shook a little, and released. _'Just keep calm, it's _just _a talking tree. That's all, haha.'_ Despite her positive thoughts, Caitlin was still a little intimidated by the huge tree.

"Student? Are you all right? Why you act as if you've never seen a talking tree before!" He let out another laugh, before he was abruptly stopped. A banging emitted from somewhere close by. Caitlin recognized it as someone beating on wood. The tree..."

"Um, Bartleby what gives? Why is your mouth shut?" A female voice came from _inside _the tree. Oh my god, this tree ate people? Caitlin was starting to panic until the tree opened his mouth and a girl stepped out of him. She noticed the girl kind of resembled herself, silvery hair, a bit darker shaded of skin, but her eyes were a deep purple. Caitlin noticed she was actually quite tall, taller than herself, and thin. She seemed friendly enough.

Bartleby laughed once the girl stepped out, "Oh, sorry Rachel! I was busy trying to speak with our newest student!"

This apparently caught the girls attention, as she turned around and quickly spotted Caitlin. Walking over to her, she held out her hand, "Hi, names Rachel Thorn. You're new?"

Taking the hand offered, Caitlin nodded, "Yes, I'm Caitlin. Nice to, uh, meet you."

Letting go of Caitlin's hand, Rachel smirked and walked off, waving as she did so, "Well nice to meet ya, have a good time here at school then!"

The blue-eyed girl simply stared after her as she walked towards the commons through the tunnel. Shaking her head, she turned back to the tree who had his eye now closed as if resting. Blinking a few times, she decided to approach him, and walked slowly near the front of him. Stopping before his mouth, she held out her hand towards it to touch, but held back. Sighing, she turned away and walked back towards the front of the life school and sat near the Cherry Blossom tree next to it.

"Something troubling you, my dear?"

Caitlin jumped in surprise, not expecting the random voice. Looking around, she saw no one around and thought it might have been part of her imagination. Shaking her head and sighing annoyance, she leaned back on the school stone wall, and closed her eyes. The next thing she new, Caitlin heard a huff and some muttering.

"Children these days! They have no manners."

This time when Caitlin looked, she aimed up and saw that this tree was also talking. Oh good lord, what next? The tree was staring down at her with her a curious gaze. Instead of screaming like she wanted to Caitlin merely shook her head and laid down on the ground with a blank gaze, thinking it was all a dream and she would wake up soon. Too bad for her, her wake up calling never came. Sighing in defeat she sat up and turned towards the tree.

"All right, what do you want then?" Caitlin asked in a bored tone, making the tree frown.

"Well all I asked if something was troubling you, no need to be rude about it!" She said in a matter-of-fact tone and humphed, a glare etched onto her tree features.

Inwardly rolling her eyes, Caitlin apologized, "You're right, you're right, sorry. Guess I'm just, say, a bit shocked is all. Never seen talking trees before."

Hearing this, the tree chuckled, "I see! Well you are forgiven, dear. So what _is_ troubling you?"

Thinking, Caitlin responded, "Well my cousin is missing at the moment and I don't know where-! Oh my gosh she's still missing! Sorry, I've gotta go look for her! I'll talk with you later!"

Caitlin stood up, brushed her clothes off, and ran towards the commons, thinking Cheryl may have gone sight seeing or something else. Even though they had already had a tour, Cheryl did like to explore. The tree hollered out, "Very well! But if it's that blue-haired lass you're looking for, she took off towards Colossus Boulevard!"

Caitlin never heard.

-break-

"So this is Colossus Boulevard, huh? Wow it's so pretty!" Cheryl gushed at the street before her, finding all the snow beautiful. Her companion however, didn't much care for it, but she was fire. Bly looked around herself, finding the snow a bit of an annoyance, but it couldn't be helped. She promised to show her new friend around Colossus and she would hold her promise till the end.

Not prepared to be grabbed, Bly let out a yelp of surprise when Cheryl took her wrist and ran with her towards the middle of the street, "W-Wait! Don't go into the middle of the-!"

Of course it was too late, as several Gobblers appeared out of no where and challenged them to a duel. Bly felt the urge to facepalm, but held back, knowing it wasn't Cheryl's fault. Pulling out her wand and spell deck, Bly stood in her duel stance and drew her first hand. Three fireblades, a firecat, two sunbirds, and one fireelf. Not the worst hand in history, but certainly not the best. She had been hoping for a Volcanic shield to use on Cheryl who only had her starter cards and wand spells. Which is to say, isn't very much or very helpful.

"Cheryl," Cheryl looked towards her, a bit scared from the sudden battle, "I think you should flee. I'll take care of this."

Cheryl held in a gasp, but hardened her gaze, "No. I want to stay and help you, this is my fault after all."

Bly looked at her then smiled, shaking her head, "Very well then, but please be careful. I don't want you getting hurt too badly now."

Nodding, Cheryl drew her first hand. She drew three wand spells, 3 frost beetles and one pixie spell. Such a newbie hand, she thought to herself, and decided to save her pips and use a wand spell. Bly used a fireblade spell on herself. All three Gobblers passed, deciding to save their pips.

Gritting her teeth, Cheryl used a frost beetle, inflicting minor damage on the first Gobbler. Bly decided on using a sunbird on the second Gobbler, knocking him out in one shot. Smiling, Cheryl thought they would be all right. That is, until someone else showed up...

-break-

"This is stupid, why did you pick this place to come to?" Amy growled in between her teeth. Her spark beast sitting in her hands shivered, and turned around, burying itself in her chest. Amy looked down at her, thinking the little thing a coward, hiding from his own master like that. The person in front of Amy laughed at the purple haired girl's pissed off mood.

"Well why not? I figured it would be fun!" The light blue haired boy fell back, falling into step with Amy. This only pissed her off more, and she puffed out her left cheek in annoyance and glared at him.

Still holding her glare, she bit out, "You're an ass, Caleb. I hope you know that."

He shrugged, being used to being called that. All Amy knew how to do was insult, but she was always fun to tease and piss off.

"Why did you pick to come to this stupid place? I hate Colossus Boulevard." She looked up at the sign which read 'Colossus Boulevard' on it. The gates were up, which meant it was open to explore, but Amy couldn't fathom why someone would want to go in there. All there was were Gobblers eating everything in sight, nothing special in there at all.

"It just brings back good memories!" Was Caleb's only response before he walked in the gate, and down the spiral tunnel. Rolling her eyes, along with her head, Amy set her spark beast, Georgie, down to follow and walked in calmly after him. Georgie followed after her, slightly hovering with his wings.

When Amy reached the bottom of the tunnel, she came out of the dark chamber, and looked around, trying to catch sight of Caleb. She quickly spot him in battle with two other girls. Sighing, she walked towards them and joined, "You idiot, you shouldn't join other people's battles like that."

Caleb looked at her and smiled, "Well, they asked for help!"

Amy looked at the two girls; One was a blond. She had shoulder length hair, light blue eyes, slightly tanned skin and was of an average of five feet tall. Amy noticed she had a moderate chest, and was quite skinny, but wasn't too much so. The second girl had dark blue hair and equally blue eyes. Her hair went a little past her shoulders and she too had a moderate chest. She was also skinny, but not quite as much as the other girl. Georgie also stared as the girls in curiosity.

"They must be beginners I assume?" Cheryl's head instantly fell and she groaned. Yes, Cheryl, it was that obvious. Bly looked a little offended.

"I am not a beginner, I am an adept, thank you very much!" She stated.

Amy simply responded with, "Okay."

Caleb let out a nervous laugh, trying to ease the tension. Finishing up their battle in silence, the two groups took off in opposite directions; Cheryl and Bly to the entrance of the street, and Amy and Caleb towards the opposite direction. Bly maintained her cool of course, and suggested she show Cheryl the bazaar.

"What's the bazaar?" Cheryl asked, her interest peaked. Bly looked at her and gave a small laugh, finding it funny she didn't know what a bazaar was.

Bly turned to her and explained, "A bazaar is where you and buy and sell all kinds of goods. For instance, if you sell your wand, the shop keeper puts it up for sell so other people can buy it. Depending on how much he has in stock, prices can go up or down."

Cheryl nodded in understanding, knowing what she meant. Feeling her excitement rise, she suggested they hurry. Bly quickened her pace to match Cheryl's ever growing one, all the while smiling in amusement.

Meanwhile...

"You liar, you said you came here to reminisce in memories." Amy accused, not like having been lied to. They were standing in front of the Gobbler Kings 'Castle' which wasn't even actually his. Caleb told her they had actually come to fight the Gobbler Kings son, so he could try and get a pet from him. Amy raised a brow at his explanation, finding it ridiculous.

"A pet. Really? Why come here for a pet, you can just hatch with someone. It would be a lot easier you know." Caleb tutted his finger in front of her face, making her growl in response. He flicked her nose, causing her to glare, "Don't try me Caleb, I'll kick your ass!"

He pretended to feign hurt, mocking her in a girlish voice which only made her even more pissed off, "Oh no! Amy is mad at me! Whatever shall I do?"

Amy kicked him in the leg, causing him to shout out in surprise and pain, "You're such an ass!"

Even though his leg was in pain, he merely laughed it off, sweat dropping and reminding himself not to push her too far. Rubbing his leg a few more times, he made sure it was okay before putting preasure on it. Finding it okay to walk on, he moved towards the Castle's front door. He knocked, making Amy sigh in annoyance, "What?"

She raised her brow at him, her glare still perfectly in tact, "Are you an idiot?"

He rubbed his chin in thought, "Well it depends; do you mean idiot as in-"

Amy brushed pass him, bursting the doors open, "Oh never mind! Let me do it."

He smiled and walked behind her, entering the Castle's main room. It was full of food, of course, which wasn't surprising at all. In the middle of the room was the Gobbler Kings son, still as fat as ever. Noticing the two wizards, he demanded why they were here and what purpose they could have for stepping into their domain. Amy, with no sign of fear, marched up to him and pointed at him, "You have a pet that he," she pointed towards Caleb, "wants. So either cough it up, or I'll kick your ass."

The Gobbler knew of Amy, and this wasn't the first time he had fought her. He knew exactly what she was capable of, but did not feel like he should give up so easy. Deciding he should fight them instead, a duel circle quickly appeared, making Amy's temper rise by the second, "I see. So it's the ass kicking; very well."

Getting into her battle position, she drew her first hand. A stormblade, two lightning bats, one tempest, and three stormsnakes. Not what she was hoping for, but it would certainly be enough to beat him. Smirking she played her first card, "You're going down."

End Chapter 3

Bit of a cliffhanger? And whatever happened to Caitlin?!

Yeah so this one is a little shorter then the rest, but I hope that's okay ^^ And to the people who's OC's I used, I hope I did okay on them ;-; I know not much of them was shown, but they have bigger roles later on~ Especially Bly, since I needed a fire type.

So what do you think of the new characters Amy and Caleb? Amy's a bit of a bitch, but she means well...Most of the time haha. Caleb is a bit of an airhead and I'll admit, he's a flirt.

I am accepting two more OC characters! After that, then they will be closed until further noticed. Well I hope you enjoyed this rushed, rather short, chapter ^^

~Ayuki-Hono


End file.
